


Prom Night

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Community: fandom_aid, F/M, Holoforms, Prom, fundraiser fic, non-standard pairing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teenage Annabelle Lennox is dumped days before the senior prom, and it falls on Ironhide’s shoulders to somehow salvage her social standing.  Or at least get her to attend her own right of passage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prom Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wildphoenix6](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=wildphoenix6).



> oh my gods. this took forever and year to get written and i have no real reason to explain why _. the muse would be there and then NOT. i would manage to plunk out words here and there, but this was one of those stories that had to be dragged kicking and screaming (and possibly at cannon point) into the world. I’m so sorry that it took so long, and i appreciate all your patience with me. I hope you enjoy it._
> 
> _written as part of a fund-raising drive for Superstorm Sandy relief_

The rate at which humans grew and changed never failed to amaze Ironhide. He knew that he felt the passage of time differently, but when Sarah Lennox said that it felt like "only yesterday" that Annabelle was taking her first steps or getting onto her first school bus, the weapons master agreed completely. It felt like it was far too soon for the girl to even be leaving her primary school, let alone preparing for her senior prom and taking the earliest steps in finding a potential mate.

And yet, here she was, modeling a flowing strapless dress for him (in a blue that was a very close match to the glass in his optic lenses, he noted with pleasure). 

"What do you think, Hide?" Annabelle beamed at him, looking so much like her mother that his processor stalled for a moment as he wondered at human genetic structures. "Isn't it great? Mikaela helped me pick it out."

Ironhide had to admit that Mikaela had excellent aesthetic taste. "It shows more of your back than I am comfortable with, but it is very aesthetically pleasing. I approve, as long as your mother does."

"Do you think Brian will like it?"

"He would be a fool not to."

Annabelle's smile widened.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

A few days later, he found her in the barn, curled up on the recharge berth he had moved into the building years ago. She looked unbearably sad, and Ironhide detected the faint traces of salt on her cheeks that indicated she had been crying. He knelt down next to the berth and wrapped a hand gently around the girl. "Annabelle, what has happened?"

"Brian broke up with me." She cuddled into the warmth of his hand. 

"Why would he do something so ridiculous?" He wanted to remark on her strength and intelligence, or her excellent genetic code, but he knew from long experience that it would simply anger the young woman right now.

"He doesn't want to be with "some freak" whose life goal is career military."

"A foolish belief." Ironhide scooped her carefully into his hand and held her close. "And one that proves he is not good enough for you."

"But I really liked him, Hide." Annabelle clung to the weapons master's chest plates. "I thought I was gonna marry him."

"The loss is his, sweetspark." 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"So now who's she taking to the prom?" Mikaela asked, pinning Ironhide with a serious look. "I mean, this is a big deal. Her social life for the rest of high school will be ruined if she goes alone."

"Her peers will shun her because her boyfriend broke up with her? That doesn't make any sense."

"High school social structures _don't_ make sense. But that's the world Belle lives in right now, so certain rules must be obeyed." The mechanic returned to her repair work. "So, who's she taking?"

"No one, as far as I am aware." Ironhide frowned. "She is no longer planning to attend. How will that affect her social standing?"

"Just as badly." Mikaela paused briefly to point at him with her wrench. "You gotta find her date."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

"I fail to understand how this has become my responsibility," Ironhide said grumpily. "But as my ward's social standing among her peer group is in jeopardy, it seems that it has fallen to me to find Annabelle a date for her senior prom."

The gathered Autobots looked at each other for a long moment before Sideswipe raised his hand. "How does that affect us?"

"You are going to help me."

"You take her. There, problem solved." Hre silver mech huffed and crossed his arms. "Can we go now?"

"That is not an acceptable solution." Ironhide frowned. "Now, get serious and help me."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After interviewing some fifty candidates, from the youngest of the soldiers on base to teenagers in Sam's current class of students, Ironhide was beginning to think that finding Annabelle a date was going to be impossible. Not only did he have _no idea_ of what she was looking for in a potential mate, the majority of them did not meet his personal standards for dating Will and Sarah's daughter. Sarah herself was no help, telling him that he had to allow the girl to make her own decisions regarding her relationships and the prom, and Mikaela's only advice had been to find someone Belle already liked. 

Sideswipe's "advice" was beginning to seem less insane every day. And with two weeks to the prom, Ironhide was horrified to realize he was seriously considering it.

When Belle wistfully whispered "I wish more guys were like you," as she drifted to sleep in his cab one night, the Autobot knew his fate was sealed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Convincing Annabelle to go to the dance without her ex-boyfriend turned out to be the hardest part.

"I'm not going to go and see him spending the whole night with that slut cheerleader."

"Your people have a saying," The weapons master rumbled. "Living well is the best revenge. It will grind his gears to see you at the dance and happy, will it not?"

"Sure. But That Bitch will probably start something too." Belle was not shy about expressing her dislike of Brian's new girlfriend, at least to Ironhide. "And then _I'll_ be the one that ends up looking like an asshole. No thanks."

"What if you have a date?"

"No one's going to ask now. They won't want to be seen with the captain of the football team's 'castoff'. I appreciate that you're trying, Hide, but you should probably stop now."

He frowned but nodded. "As you wish."

He and Jazz had planned for this complication.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Annabelle sighed as she stared out the window at the sunset.

The earliest arrivals to the prom would be walking up the red carpet at the gym now, being announced like lords and ladies at a royal ball and turning heads with how beautiful they all looked. Brian would be escorting That Bitch into the dance right about now, and gathering the attention of everyone with a camera because they looked so _perfect_ together.

It wasn’t fair. He could have at least had the decency to let her wear that beautiful--and expensive--gown. Instead, it mocked her from it’s protective plastic bag from the back of her closet door.

She sighed, again, as Ironhide’s familiar form pulled up under her window again this evening. He had taken his promise to her father to take care of her beyond seriously, and had been making a complete nuisance of himself all week to make sure she was doing all right. He’d stopped pushing at her to go to the dance finally, but it was still pretty clear that he thought she was being ridiculous.

Still, he would probably be a welcome distraction tonight.

Since she was expecting Ironhide’s holoform to materialize in her room, Annabelle jumped in shock when the darker, lankier form of Jazz materialized in front of her instead. “God, Jazz! Way to scare a girl to death!”

“Sorry, Belle.” Jazz’s holoform smiled sheepishly. “Thought you’d be expecting company.”

“I was expecting Ironhide, not you.” She crossed her arms and glared at the Autobot’s holoform. “What are you two up to?”

“Well, I’m here to help make you beautiful while ‘Hide convinces your mother to let you go out on the town with him.”

“That’s a terrible plan!” Annabelle replied, thinking of the number of classmates who would be out for dinner or other pre-prom activities. “Do you guys even realize what today is?”

“Prom,” Jazz answered. “Which is why it’s important for you to go out and show everyone that you’re better than the loser who dumped you.”

“Yeah, like I told Ironhide. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Yes it does.” The holoform stepped close enough that he could rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You just gotta go out there and show them that he doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, fat chance of that.” The teenager turned away and looked out the window again. She still couldn’t see where Jazz had parked, though Ironhide’s lights flashed once to let her know he knew she was looking.

“Not for a girl who’s got as much going for her as you do.” Jazz moved his hand, wrapping it around her shoulder and pulling her against his chest in a hug.

She wrinkled her nose as the static from the hard-light image tickled, the way it always had since the Autobots had perfected the technology. “Like what? I’m just a stupid girl, who feels better with a gun in her hands than in high heels.”

“Well, there is that. You can’t save the world in high heels, you know.” He rubbed her back gently. “And you’re smart, you have a great grasp of tactical planning, you’re good with math and your aim is phenomenal. That’s all pretty useful. Plus you’ve got your mom’s good looks, your dad’s optics and have you seen Ironhide’s holo in those dress greens the allied governments _finally_ agreed on for NEST?”

She couldn’t argue with his assessment of her skills, so Belle settled on a sullen answer to his question. “No.”

“Ah, sweetspark, you haven’t lived. If I wasn’t committed already, I’d be trying my chances.” She could practically feel his grin through the static fuzz. Then the Autobot pulled her off the bed and toward the closet. “Now, come on. Let’s make all the other girls seethe with jealousy.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea!”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sarah Lennox smiled brightly as her daughter came down the stairs. Ironhide followed her gaze and echoed the gesture, impressed by how well Jazz had painted on the girl's makeup and styled her hair. Sunstreaker himself couldn't have done better--assuming Ironhide would have trusted the gold menace within a kilometer of Will Lennox's daughter.

"You look beautiful," the Autobot told her. 

Annabelle ducked her head, slightly embarrassed at the attention. "I guess I'm ready to go."

"Not quite," her mother said. The elder Lennox left Ironhide's side and crossed the room to stand in front of her daughter. Still smiling, she revealed a small necklace hidden in one hand and held it out to Annabelle. "Your great grandmother gave this to me when I went to my senior prom. She said every girl should have one piece of jewelry as beautiful as she was."

"Oh, mama." Belle's eyes went watery, though she managed not to cry and ruin her makeup. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Sarah unfastened the chain and put the finely cut diamond around her daughter's neck. "Ever since I knew you were a girl, I've been waiting to give it to you."

"Thank you!" The teenager put her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly.

"You're welcome. Have fun tonight and be home by two."

"We will." Annabelle smiled, looking truly happy for the first time since Brian dumped her. Then she turned her attention to Ironhide and her cheeks flushed red. "Wow. Jazz was right about that uniform."

Having heard Jazz extolling the virtues of the uniform, the Autobot knew exactly what the girl meant. "Thank you. Shall we go to dinner?"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Jazz drove them to the new Greek restaurant in town, seamlessly projecting Ironhide's holoform for him while the large warrior's physical form followed at a distance. It had been surreal, especially when the Autobot had ordered dinner and then used holo-tech to hide that he wasn't really eating anything at all. Once the leftovers were discreetly tucked away for her to take home, Ironhide paid the bill and Jazz drove them to the high school.

Annabelle looked out at the beautifully dressed teenagers walking into the building with trepidation. "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes, you can." Ironhide's voice was a confident rumble over Jazz's comm system. "We are going to walk in there and knock them dead."

"Right. You and me." Belle took a deep breath and let it out. "If That Bitch starts anything, I'm not promising that I won't finish it."

"Of course you will. You _are_ Will Lennox's daughter after all."

"And I'll be here for any quick getaways," Jazz added. "So get in there and be fantastic."

"Right. Fantastic." Ironhide and Jazz executed the illusion of the weapons master getting out of the car and coming around to open up Annabelle's door while she took a calming breath. "I can do fantastic."

The Autobot escorted her to the red carpet and gave Annabelle's invitation to the attendant at the end of the walkway. A moment later, the Master of Ceremonies announced their entrance to the prom and Ironhide led her through an excited barrage of camera flashes and into the building.

Belle spotted Brian and his date near the refreshment table as her vision cleared. She had the singular satisfaction of seeing the head cheerleader drop her drink as she spotted them, and a warm feeling inside when she realized that maybe Ironhide and Jazz had been right.


End file.
